Machines for automatically attaching interconnecting wiring to terminals arranged on a panel by means of solderless wrapped connections are well known in the electronic and electrical industries. The Automatic Wire-Wrap Machine, Model 14FV, manufactured by the Gardner-Denver Company of Grand Haven, Michigan is an example of such a machine. In general, the machine consists of movable carriages containing wrapping tool assemblies and dressing fingers that are positioned to form a desired wire pattern. The dressing fingers are capable of being positioned in both the "X" and "Y" axes in small incremental distances with respect to the terminals emanating from the panel being wrapped. Also, the dressing fingers may be suitably positioned along one of said axes, for example, the Y axis, with respect to its associated wrap tool. However, the distance relationship between the finger and tool in the X axis is a fixed dimension. Such a fixed relationship dictates the X-Y grid size for terminal placement, which must be in whole increments of the aforesaid dimension. Such an arrangement severely limits the design of the terminal panel.
The dressing finger described and claimed herein is a replacement for the finger used on such present day machines. It allows a range of grid sizes to be employed on the terminal panel, including a combination of grid pattern sizes in both axes, within the range accommodated by the dressing finger. Heretofore, only one grid size could be used on a panel layout, or if different sizes were used on a panel they were confined to respective definitive areas thereof. The latter arrangement required that the machine operator halt the operation and install a different dressing finger for each of the areas, or utilize the same finger with appropriate shims or spacers. Intermixed terminal spacings in the same area and lying, for example, within the range accommodated by the present dressing finger, were not permitted.
It is apparent from the foregoing considerations that the present invention fills an important need in providing flexibility in the terminal layout design associated with automatic wiring machines.